Introduction and Disclaimer

So this is the final part of Hawk Of Jurai - the conclusion to the wild babble-fest that makes up parts one and two ;) Yep, this time everything will be concluded, I promise!

I realised when writing the synopsis for this part that it's starting to get a dangerously OVA 3ish Chousin theme about it - which is not my intention at all, but I guess we'll see where that goes :) I haven't seen all of OVA 3 (only the first three episodes), so any similarity is pure coincidence on my part!

The OVA x TU rules still exist, so does the Ryoko and Tenchi pairing and all the other things that I've set out as in the other stories. As I mentioned I think at the start of part one, there has been some tweaking of characters that are OVA but not TU originals, to make them fit better into the TU world. This story takes a step further into Washu and her past, Sasami and her future, and Tenchi and his inexplicable gift for making ladies fall at his feet. No, I'm kidding! But, as with the first two parts of this story, Ryoko and Tenchi's relationship is secondary in a lot of ways to other themes that are taking precedence.

For anyone hoping for some Zero/Ryoko assimilation action - sorry, you'll be disappointed. It's never been my intention to do anything of the sort, since Tenchi Universe Ryoko doesn't quite fit with the assimilation rules (and she's not created in the same way as OVA Ryoko, so the science of it is impractical). I hope that doesn't mean Zero and her chosen characterisation/role has disappointed or will yet disappoint!

I still have no plans to include D3 or Z in this world at the moment, and neither of them will be appearing in this fic. I'm not quite sure what I've done to Seiryo Tennan, but I'm starting to like it more and more, so of course he's still involved ;)

Oh yes. I've been hinting at it since the very first Tenchi fic I wrote, but if noone's noticed it yet, the last part dropped a major clanger of a hint in terms of Sasami and her future paramour based on the TU series (if she can't have Tenchi, which of course, in my writing, she can't). I don't know if this will upset anyone - although I hope not - and I have no intention of making any inroads into a relationship while she's still a child. But since I know I'm not the only one who saw this delicately hinted at in No Need For Knights, I'm going to include it anyway!

Usual legal bumf (copyrights etc) apply :) As does the fact that this is only my interpretation of characters and my hypothesis of potential events!

please do take the time to review - I have no official proof reader (although I have one charming amigo who takes a peek at things now and then) and I rely on review/feedback info to let me know whether I should be continuing down this path or what. So if you can take the time to leave a quick comment, I appreciate it more than I can say.

On with the show ;) (Choccie biccies are on Sasami!)

Synopsis

One goddess, one scientist, one heretic.

In the depths of space, powerful forces are reaching out across the Universe, touching even as world as remote as Planet Earth as they prepare themselves for an inevitable final showdown.

With Azusa reluctant to bring his planet into any kind of conflict, Sasami knows she has her work cut out for her if she's going to convince her Uncle that Jurai's future is as much at stake as that of the Planet Earth as Tokimi's bitter anger threatens not only Tenchi's life but the existance of the Goddess Tsunami herself.

On Earth, Washu is coming to terms with what she's discovered, realising with startling clarity that in order for the Universe to be safe, she must make some harsh decisions about both her past and her future. Stopping Tokimi may mean the ultimate sacrifice - but does she have any other choice?

Seiryo Tennan has slowly succumbed to the tempting lure of Tokimi's dark magic as he sets off across space on a hell-for-leather mission to capture the Prince of Jurai that the Priestess believes holds the key to Tsunami's power. Earth have not yet recovered from the shock of the last attack - but they are about to discover that they haven't seen anything yet.

And Tsunami knows that she must awaken her people to the danger that approaches...before it's too late!

HAWK OF JURAI: PART THREE

A Tenchi Muyo! Fanfiction
by
VRAIEESPRIT

The moon was high in the sky.

On the planet Kihaku, most people were fast asleep, their log lamps extinguished for the night as they prepared for their hard day's labour on the morrow.

Only one soul stirred from her bed, blinking in the darkness as her eyes acclimatised themselves to the gloom. In the Priest's House, a small, lithe figure darted from one side of the building to the other, carefully putting together all of the bits and pieces that she knew she'd need for her trip.

At length she was ready, and she sighed, casting a regretful look around at the simply furnished bedroom. Then, with new resolve in her heart, she turned on her heel, making her way purposefully towards the wooden doorway. She would not be coming back...not this time.

"Washu-onechan?"

A hiss from the room's other bed made her freeze, turning in dismay to see her young sister sitting upright, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she stifled a yawn. "Washu? Are you awake?"

For a moment Washu debated not answering. Then, as she heard her companion fumbling for the flint to light the wood lamp, she sighed, sinking down onto the end of the bed.

"Yes, Tokimi. I'm awake." She agreed softly. "But I didn't know that you were."

"I heard something...it sounded like a wolf got into the house." At last Tokimi managed to light the lamp, and a dim, smoky glow penetrated the black of the room. At the sight of her companion, the younger girl let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in horror.

"Washu! Where have you been! It's late and Father will be cross if he discovers you've been outside all night long!"

"I haven't." Washu shook her head. She hesitated, then, "Tokimi-chan, I haven't been out yet. But I am going...soon. And there's no wolf. Just me."

"Going? Going where?" Now Tokimi was alert and she grabbed her sister by the hand. "Washu, you don't mean..."

"Yes, I do." Washu said shortly. "You know that if I stay here, Father will only bully me into following more and more of his rituals and practices and I've never been much good at those. Tokimi-chan, I'm fed up with living in his shadow. I'm not cut out to be a Priestess. I don't even believe in half of the things Father expects me to."

"But Washu, you can't leave!" Tears sprang into Tokimi's blue eyes at this, and she shook her head emphatically. "If you go, who will succeed Father? And who will I have to talk to then, when you're no longer here? You're my sister...doesn't that count for anything at all?"

"It counts for a lot." Washu agreed softly, her own lashes becoming damp as she took in the distress on her companion's young face. "I've thought about this long and hard for a long time, Tokimi-chan. I really have. And it's the only way that I can be myself. If I stay here, I'll only continue to disappoint Father by talking about heretical ideas and wanting to explore them. I'm twenty summers - an adult in my own right - and I know that before long he'll be looking for a potential husband for me and dragging me further into his ceremonies. I'll lose my identity if I let him do that...trapped in honouring a world that doesn't protect us and a tribe that I don't want to even belong to. Tokimi, you're the only one who I've ever been close to, and you're not even a true blooded member of the Hakubi tribe. I have no loyalty to the people or the planet and it makes Father cross. How will I ever make Kihaku happy as a Priestess if I don't even feel happy about it myself?"

Tokimi looked troubled.

"But Father has no other blood daughters than you, Washu." She pleaded. "Please, reconsider. Even if you don't understand what he's teaching you - can't you at least try and master it? Humour him? When you are Priestess, it will be up to you how Kihaku lives. But until then...?"

"I've tried and tried to explain to Father how I want to embrace the technology the Newcomers brought here." Washu sighed, pushing back her sleeves and eying her forearms with a pensive frown. Ugly red weals cut across her forearms, and she shivered involuntarily, rolling her sleeves back down to cover the scar of her father's harsh whip. "The more I try and make him listen, the more determined he is not to hear. I'm fed up of being chastised just because I don't believe they're demons. We could all live here and learn from each other, but Father..."

She shook her head.

"I've never been the daughter he wanted." She added matter-of-factly. "I know that he'd rather it was you who was his blood heiress, Tokimi-chan. He's always been much more fond of you."

"Washu, that's not true!"

"Yes, it is, and we both know it." Washu spread her hands. "You understand his rituals, you take interest in his doings and you know much more than I do about this planet even though you're younger than I am. Kihaku would have been better off if I hadn't been born, and that's for sure. Or if you had been born to the Priest, and I had been the orphaned babe thrown on the Priest's mercy, the sole survivor of another tribe's famine."

Tokimi was silent for a moment, and Washu was aware of the silent tears rolling down her sister's cheeks.

"Ever since I can remember, you've been my sister." She murmured. "I've never known any other family but you and Otosan...you know that. I don't want to lose you, Washu-onechan. Please don't leave. Please...I'll talk to Father for you. I'll try and make him understand..."

"It's too late." Washu shook her head, getting to her feet and scooping up her bag of belongings. She paused, resting a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Don't tell Father I've gone until morning." She added softly. "I don't want another beating for disobeying him and, adult though I may be, that's what I'll get if he catches me."

"All right." Tokimi sighed, hugging her knees to her chest as she surveyed her companion. "But only to spare you a flogging. If you're quite decided to go, Washu...I guess I won't change your mind no matter what I say, will I?"

"I'm afraid not." Washu said sadly. "Tokimi, please don't cry. All that this life has left for me is an arranged marriage, a forced initiation into the cult of Kihaku and more intensive training in doctrines I don't even believe any more. At least if I leave now I'm spared those things. Father is young enough yet to take another wife and father another heir...and you know that he won't regret my going as soon as he realises that for himself."

"Where are you going to go?"

"Never mind." Washu smiled slightly. "Not somewhere I can be easily found, that's for sure."

"Washu-onechan!" Tokimi looked cross. "At least trust me not to reveal your secrets to Father! I want to be able to see you, even if he cannot!"

Washu bit down on her lip, then she sighed.

"All right." She agreed slowly. "I'm going to the old mining complex at the corner of the Black Rock village. The Newcomers have abandoned the seams there - they're empty now, and no longer worth pursuing. But there's enough space there for me to stay and work on the things I really want to find out."

"Underground?" Tokimi stared. "Without the sun? But..."

"Beggars can't be choosers. I'll manage." Washu assured her. "But if you come to me, Tokimi-chan, make sure Father doesn't discover where you come. In fact, it might be better if you didn't come at all, at least not until the shock of my going is a long distant memory in the minds of all around. Let them think that I was caught by wolves...or just let them forget that the Hakubi tribe ever had an heiress named Washu. It...isn't unknown for a Priest to kill his child if he or she strays from the cult...and I don't want to find out if Father feels that way, too."

"Father wouldn't." Tokimi shook her head decidedly. "But I promise, Washu. I'll be careful. Oh, but I'll miss you!"

And she flung back her covers, wrapping her sister in a tight hug, almost knocking her off balance in the process. Washu laughed, returning the hug then disentangling herself from the younger girl's embrace.

"Then come visit me, when all is calm again." She said softly. "Even if that might not be for many seasons. Bring me news and I'll share with you what I've learnt. But take care, Tokimi-chan. Father will be angry tomorrow when he finds out I've gone. Don't let him take his rage out on you."

"He never does." Tokimi shook her head.

"Then I suppose I'll see you whenever the time comes." Washu tightened her grip on her belongings. "Good bye, Tokimi-chan. Take care of yourself...and of Father. One day we'll see each other again, I promise...but for now, I have to go and try my luck out in the world on my own. I have to discover my own destiny - wherever that path takes me."

Washu opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times as she brought her surroundings into focus. A wry smile touched her lips as she realised that it had just been a dream - an ancient memory stirred up above all others to disturb her night's sleep.

"Tokimi." She murmured, pushing back her covers and getting to her feet, padding through the interdimensional gateway that seperated her sleeping quarters from her laboratory and making her way to the makeshift bed where Kiyone lay sleeping peacefully. For a moment she watched her patient, putting a gentle finger to Kiyone's throat as she felt for a pulse. It was there, stronger and more resolute than it had been the previous evening, and Washu noted with some relief that the desperate hoarseness of the Detective's breathing had also begun to improve. But Kiyone's complexion was still a waxy pale colour, and until she woke - if she woke - there was no way of knowing what other damage she may have sustained.

She turned her back on the sleeping woman, glancing across the laboratory at the huddled form curled up in the furthermost corner. Zero had chosen to spend the night in the lab, and Washu had not tried to stop her. Even though the droid had been sent to Earth as a spy, Washu was confident that she posed the household no further risk. And yet, with Ryoko's overt hostility to the new houseguest still very much in evidence, it had seemed safer and quieter all round for Zero to seek sanctuary in a home more like that she was used to...surrounded by machines instead of by people.

As if she sensed the scientist's gaze on her, Zero raised her head, a questioning look in her pale eyes as she took in Washu's expression.

"It's still early. Not dawn yet." She said quietly. "Why are you awake, Washu-san?"

"I don't always keep to a normal timetable." Washu smiled. "I got used to working without sunlight a long time ago - the days can come and go but I time my day around what suits me best."

"I'd like to do that, too." Zero said pensively. "But I am afraid. I fear reprisals. Dr Clay will know that you have tampered with my memory banks in some way by now. He cannot make contact with me, and therefore he will know something is wrong. I don't know what he will do about it, but I feel sure he'll tell Lady Tokimi as soon as he's able."

"Probably." Washu looked thoughtful. "But I think a meeting with Tokimi is probably inevitable, now."

"Tokimi is powerful." Zero said apprehensively, getting slowly to her feet and leaning back against the deceptive wall of the laboratory as she did so. "I have never encountered one with power like hers before. Washu-san, if she comes here, people will die. There is no other outcome that I can see. She wants Tenchi and she will take him - but how many more will she kill to reach the one she believes holds all the power?"

"I wish I knew the answer." Washu looked troubled. "Seems to me you know Tokimi and her motivation better than I do right at the moment. It's been a very long time since we last spoke to one another, Zero. A very long time. Before all of this even began. She was another person then...another person completely."

"I can't imagine that." Zero admitted. "She's a fearsome figure, Washu-san - her magic radiates out from her like rays of light, twisting and distorting even the air around her. Everything she thinks, says or does is anger or hate...directed towards Tsunami and the planet Jurai. When she tampered with my circuits, she let me see the world through her eyes for the briefest of instants. There was so much darkness and fury inside of her that I really don't believe she has any limits. She said she couldn't be stopped - and I believe her."

"But Kihaku's magic is powerful." Washu admitted. "Powerful enough to warp and dement even the most gentle of souls. It's been many years - centuries, perhaps milennia. That's a long time for that evil world to have wrought horrible changes to her nature and her motivation. She was a good person once, Zero. It might seem hard to believe, but there was a time when we were close - when we were family. And I would have trusted her beyond all others."

She frowned, spreading her hands in a gesture of defeat.

"But time has also taught me that good people are seldom ready to fight until it's too late and ground has been lost. It's a bitter lesson - it's not always the good who win, but those who are willing to go the furthest. However far that may be."

"You said you'd met the real Tsunami, too." Zero narrowed her eyes, and Washu could tell she was mulling things over carefully. "How is that possible? If Tenchi isn't the one Tokimi really wants - who is?"

She faltered, then,

"Is it Ryoko? After all, Tokimi did seem unnaturally interested in her as well...and...she was there during the battle with Kagato."

"Clay has done a lot of homework but he's sent you off following false leads." Washu said quietly. "No, Zero. Ryoko is a strong, independant space pirate whose magic has been amplified thanks to Jurai's power. But she is not Tsunami."

She rolled her eyes.

"Heaven forbid that anyone should ever make a goddess of my daughter. She's too unstable and flighty by far...the world would come to ruin in a heartbeat."

"Like Kihaku."

"Like Kihaku indeed." A shadow flickered across Washu's expression, then she shrugged her shoulders. "Though we shouldn't be wasting time thinking about a dead world. Zero, last night you said that Seiryo Tennan was working under Tokimi's auspices. In what sense, exactly? I'm guessing it was him who carried out the attack on Kiyone, but something still confuses me. The Tennan family have no magic of their own, but Kiyone was definitely attacked by magic. In fact, she told me herself the last time we spoke that she thought there was some kind of dark magic involved...but she wasn't clear on the source."

"Seiryo-san is one of Tokimi-sama's chosen." Zero said quietly. "Like Dr Clay, she has connected herself to him, but in a different way. She shares communication with Clay, and prolongs his lifespan so long as he proves useful to her. When I first met Seiryo-san, I detected no unusual readings from him. He was a nobleman of Jurai, but little else. When Tokimi-sama sent me to the Earth aboard his ship the Unko, he was not the same. He had...acquired something from their meeting, although I'm not sure exactly what."

She sighed.

"Like most magic, it evaded my attempts to quantify it." She admitted. "So I gave up. It wasn't important to my mission, and at that time I was...was more focused on completing what I set out to do."

"So Tokimi infused Seiryo with magic to carry out her bidding?" Washu asked. Zero nodded.

"That's my hypothesis." She agreed softly. "If that's possible."

"Yes, I imagine it is." Washu rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she considered. "I probably don't know as much about Kihaku's magic as I should, all things considered. But if it has any similarities at all to Tsunami and her bond with the people of Jurai, I would have thought it possible for Tokimi to give Seiryo certain advantages in order to make him a better servant."

She frowned.

"It may also explain why he dealt with Kiyone so ruthlessly." She added. "If Seiryo is under Kihaku's influence also, and he has no natural resistance or aptitude for magic, he's probably not as in control of himself as we'd all like. He's probably unstable and highly dangerous. Maybe I was wrong to send Mihoshi back to the Galaxy Police after all. I just wish I knew his motivation in all this - is dubious power enough of a gain for a rich and titled nobleman of his status? He has so much to lose."

"Washu-san, do you trust me to tell you the truth?" Zero asked hesitantly. Washu looked startled, glancing her companion over carefully before she gave her reply.

"Yes, I think that I do." She said at length. "Machines lie less than living beings do, Zero. That's one truth I've learnt over the centuries. And besides, I can see who you really are all too clearly now. Clay's link to you is gone, and all I see is someone lost and lonely, trying to find somewhere she belongs."

She looked rueful.

"I think most people can identify with that feeling at some time or another in their life." She added. "So yes, I trust you to tell me the truth."

"Then I can tell you why Seiryo Tennan became involved in Tokimi's plans." Zero said carefully. "Although what kind of impact this information might have if it became public, I don't know."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"At the time, when I was a witness to the event, I thought only to use it in the way Clay dictated, as a means to manoeuvre Seiryo-san into Tokimi's power." She admitted. "But now, when I reflect on it...I don't think I see it the same way."

"Well, I'm listening, if you want to tell me." Washu said gently, taking a seat and indicating for the droid to follow suit. Zero did so, pursing her lips as she considered how best to relay her tale.

"Seiji Tennan was murdered." She said at length. "But not by space pirates or bandits. Tokimi helped to create that smokescreen - but it wasn't what really happened."

"I see." Washu looked thoughtful. "Seiryo did kill his father, then?"

"No." Zero shook her head. "No, it's more complicated than that."

She frowned, looking troubled.

"I keep hearing her crying." She whispered. "And I know that she didn't mean to harm him. I've struggled with this, Washu-san, since our chat last night...but I think I can trust you to treat this information in the best way."

"Who crying, Zero?" Washu looked confused. "I don't understand."

"Suki Tennan. Seiryo's sister." Zero said quietly. "There was a conflict between father and son, and Seiji had Seiryo at bladepoint. Suki intervened...but her intervention was harsher than she intended."

"So Suki Tennan murdered her father." Washu's eyes widened with surprise.

"I would not call it murder." Zero said pensively. "She didn't mean it. My understanding is still basic, but it seems more intricate than that to me. From what I can understand, those who mean to murder usually are content once the deed is carried out. I have seen Clay eliminate people in the past, and he has never shown signs of regret. But Suki-kyou was very upset. She saved her brother's life, but took her father's instead. And I saw it all, so I reported it to Clay and he to Tokimi. The evidence of it resides still in my memory banks. I've toyed with deleting it - but Tokimi still holds a copy of the file, and I cannot do anything about that."

"Seiryo got involved in Tokimi's web to protect his sister from prosecution." Comprehension dawned in Washu's eyes. "Well, at least that explains why I had so much trouble finding data on the Tennan family, and why they're involved in all of this. Which also puts my mind at rest that this isn't some covert invasion plan from Jurai - that did bother me for a while there. But if you're right, and Seiryo was basically blackmailed into being Tokimi's little helper...I guess it's probably safe to bring Jurai into the equation ourselves. And that's a good thing. I think we're going to need all the help we can get."

"You have friends on Jurai?" Zero asked. Washu nodded.

"The most powerful of all among them." She agreed. "Tsunami-kami-sama - or at least, as close to it as any of us can manage."

"And if Tokimi comes?"

"Right now there's not much any of us can do to challenge someone who has that kind of power at her beck and call." Washu said practically. "All I can say is be alert and prepared for trouble, but don't look for it. You're probably right when you say Clay will be searching for you - I'm guessing you've made up your mind once and for all that he's not going to be taking you away with him if he finds you."

"No." Zero said firmly. "I don't want to go back with him. I told you that last night."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Besides, if you really did develop most of my technology, I owe more loyalty to you than I do to him." She added.

Washu smiled, shaking her head.

"No, you don't." She said practically. "Once you cross the boundary between operating and thinking, Zero, you take responsibility for yourself. You don't owe me or Dr Clay anything. You're free to choose where you want to be and who you want to support. It's going to get very dangerous on either side of the equation. You don't have to put yourself in harm's way to placate some kind of robot's loyalty. You're not just a robot any more. You have feelings. That makes you as human as anyone else."

"You really think so?" Hope and gratitude flickered in Zero's pale lilac eyes. Washu nodded.

"Of course." she agreed. "If I started giving you orders, I'd be no better than Clay and heaven forbid I should follow him in anything."

Zero was silent for a moment, as if considering, and Washu eyed her keenly, knowing that the droid was reasoning everything out carefully in her own mind. At length she raised her gaze, a slight smile touching her expression.

"You've been kind to me, even though you knew from the start that I was a spy." She said slowly. "That you can trust me knowing that - even just a little bit - means a lot. For that I do owe you my loyalty. If not as a servant, then as an ally by my own choosing. I won't let you down, you have my word. And I'll do whatever it takes to prove myself worthy of being here, Washu-san."

"You already have, by giving us so much information about so many important things." Washu assured her. "It's like I said before, you're your own person now. And in truth, it would be nice to have someone I can discuss scientific principles with."

She looked rueful.

"My daughter's grasp of science stops with basic biology." She said dryly. "It's a long time since I've been at the Academy, Zero - but sometimes I miss the companionship of a bright mind and an understanding colleague."

"If you don't mind, Washu-san, I really don't want to be called that any more." Zero said frankly. "Zero means nothing. Empty. I've been a canvas for other people's ideas and images, but had nothing of my own to put to them. I don't feel that's the case any more. My feelings may be raw, and my perceptions confused. But I feel I'm almost alive for the first time in my existance. So I will be Yume, and not Zero, if that's all right. I want to learn how to be human as much as I can. The Earth is a nice world. I want to be a part of it."

"Then Yume it is." Washu said with a smile. She sighed, stretching and getting to her feet.

"We should probably tell everyone else what we've reasoned out, and then work on what we're going to do about it." She added. "If we can get Jurai's help and support, so much to the good. Without it I don't know what plan B might be...but we'll hit that stumbling block when we come to it, I guess."

"I...I'll stay here." Her companion shook her head, looking hesitant, and compassion flooded Washu's gaze.

"Ryoko won't attack you, you know."

"She might."

"I won't let her."

"It's all right. I'll stay and keep an eye on Kiyone-san, if you'll trust me to do that." The droid sighed. "I'm probably safer from Dr Clay's probing here than I am anywhere else, anyway."

"All right, if that's how you feel." Washu relented. "But don't spend all your time hiding out here like a hermit, all right? If you're going to be a part of this dysfunctional team ethic we've got going down here, we may yet need your contribution."

She paused, then smiled.

"After all, we probably need all the help we can get."